anti-mildew silicon safety

davidryder

Claris or Elliot?
anyone used GE Silicone II with BioSeal Protection? I've constructed a refugium with it and i've read that anti-mildew agents are toxic to fish.

can anyone confirm this or have any solutions?
 
Yes, you should not use that kind.
I'm not sure about problems with fish/vertebrates, but the anti-mildew compounds are definetly bad for the beneficial bacteria.

Have you started using it yet?
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9275257#post9275257 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by Tang Salad
Yes, you should not use that kind.
I'm not sure about problems with fish/vertebrates, but the anti-mildew compounds are definetly bad for the beneficial bacteria.

Have you started using it yet?

yeah i am actually finished with the fuge.

i did a lot of research after i posted that, and here are some things i found:

i read a few posts of people saying that they themselves have used the same sort of silicon with no ill effects after more than 6 months of fish tank uppery.

i read a post with information from an aquarium manufacturer that said as long as the silicon is non-acidic (100% silicon) then it is safe to use.

Tang Salad, do you know anything more about what you said about the bacteria interference? i have read several posts that simply say "better safe than sorry" or "it's just bad" so thank you for giving me a little more specific information.

i have also run across the same information about the interference it may cause with the beneficial bacteria in the water.

can anyone elaborate on this?
 
Sorry, I can't really elaborate as I'm just repeating what I've read before. It does seem logical that anti-mildew agents would also be harmful to other organisms.

Try a search in the DIY forum. You might get some more details there.

Good Luck!
 
i think you might of misread some of it. People have used GE silicone true, but not the stuff with the anti-mildew. Its not a good idea. Anti mildew has tons of chemicals that will leach into your system.

i read a post with information from an aquarium manufacturer that said as long as the silicon is non-acidic (100% silicon) then it is safe to use.

you see.. silicone with anti-mildew isnt exactly 100% silicone now is it?

dont risk it. there are plenty of options without using something that could/will harm your tank.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9283704#post9283704 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dippin61
i think you might of misread some of it. People have used GE silicone true, but not the stuff with the anti-mildew. Its not a good idea. Anti mildew has tons of chemicals that will leach into your system.



you see.. silicone with anti-mildew isnt exactly 100% silicone now is it?

dont risk it. there are plenty of options without using something that could/will harm your tank.

i really do appreciate your input. but this is the type of post that i've read a dozen other places. and i didn't misread anything, trust me. if you do enough searching you will find posts related to the information i originally posted. and if you do some searching, you will find that the subject in fact is fairly debated among aquarists. and among those debates, there is no real information about the subject. just opinions and guesses. i by nature look for a little more than that.

to my knowledge, evidence eluding to the fact that any amount of anti-mildew agents is toxic to fish has not been presented. and i don't just mean in this thread or on this forum. i think that that is what was in my original post. i'm not really interested in hearing that it's bad, and don't risk it. i've already read that enough. i know how people feel about it. i believe myself that there is some degree of harm that can be done by using a certain amount of anti-mildew silicon. i started this thread to get more information on the subject. information that can be measured.

i don't need to be convinced not to use anti-mildew silicon, or that anti-mildew silicon is bad. i'm simply trying to gather information.

thanks again for your input, though!
 
I used GE II with anti mildew in the construction of my sump. I did a little research and found out the possibility existed of it poisoning the fish. At some point down the road if something goes south in the tank, that will be one more thing to troubleshoot. I took mine entirely apart and reconstructed with aquarium safe sealant (the stuff that smells like vinegar). My sump was a glass 10g tank with 1/4" glass baffles. The GE II stuff came off fairly easy with a razor blade. The excess that remained on the glass I scuffed off with some 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper. A few extra parts trips and a few extra construction hours provided me some peace of mind.
 
I agree, is it worth it to not change it out before you get it all setup? If something does go wrong youll always have the thought that it might be the silicone. GE silicone 1 for windows and doors is a known reef safe silicone. I would start over with that for peace of mind alone....jm2c
 
GE silicone 1 for windows and doors is a known reef safe silicone. I would start over with that for peace of mind alone

+1
 
Change it out w/ the right stuff.

If you want to risk it, run clean RO/DI water in it for a couple months. Change it regularly and run carbon with it. The RO/DI water should pull out anything and the carbon should clean the water.
 
also.. it states on the ge II its not safe for aquariums.

why risk it? its not worth it.. just use something that is been proven. the ge I is also cheaper.. so why even wonder about it at all?

i just dont get where your coming from is all.
 
<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9291220#post9291220 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by dippin61
also.. it states on the ge II its not safe for aquariums.

why risk it? its not worth it.. just use something that is been proven. the ge I is also cheaper.. so why even wonder about it at all?

i just dont get where your coming from is all.

friend, i'm guessing you didn't read my last message. scroll up and thoroughly read my previous post. i am only trying to gather information, NOT deciding if i should use the silicon. i wonder because that's my nature. my intentions were certainly not to start a debate. if you feel i am persisting that the silicon may be safe, then i think you may have a problem with density. :D

the question of whether or not i'm going to use the silicon no longer exists. i'm past that point. i have moved on to the next stage of my setup. if i had to clarify one thing from my last message, it would be:

"i don't need to be convinced not to use anti-mildew silicon, or that anti-mildew silicon is bad. i'm simply trying to gather information."

no offense, but if you have nothing to offer other than opinion, i'm not interested. this forum is only one of the several places i am researching the issue. i am just looking for links, articles, specific knowledge, saturations, chemical names, life spans, etc...

does that make any more sense? thank you for your concern though, it means a lot to me to see how much so many people care!!

and to further clarify "where i'm coming from," i am playing around with a biochemistry minor and this is an interesting subject. so please understand my frustration when i specifically ask for information, and i get opinionated and (un)informational replies!! good looking out, though!
 
Ok first off, your coy way of being insulting, is insulting in itself. theres no reason to have the tone you have in this thread. Get off your high horse. if you dont want OPINIONS take yourself off of a public message board. because you will be hugely dissapointed in life if you think coming to a board like this, that you wont get opinions that differ from yours.

you never stated exactly why you were wondering.. that was my confusion in it. I was just curious as to why you were pushing this.

im done with this thread.. take what you want from the replies as you see fit. Hard headiness wont get you anywhere in a public forum. opinions come from experience, which apparently you have none in this topic. we were trying to help, but if your going to be jerk about it, find it on your own.

i could post a whole lot of info for you to mull over, but ive decided not to, that included emails from GE themselves, and warning labels DIRECTLY ON THE PACKAGE, and the chemical make up of the silicone.. now, you can go find it yourself.



<a href=showthread.php?s=&postid=9291755#post9291755 target=_blank>Originally posted</a> by davidryder
friend, i'm guessing you didn't read my last message. scroll up and thoroughly read my previous post. i am only trying to gather information, NOT deciding if i should use the silicon. i wonder because that's my nature. my intentions were certainly not to start a debate. if you feel i am persisting that the silicon may be safe, then i think you may have a problem with density. :D

the question of whether or not i'm going to use the silicon no longer exists. i'm past that point. i have moved on to the next stage of my setup. if i had to clarify one thing from my last message, it would be:

"i don't need to be convinced not to use anti-mildew silicon, or that anti-mildew silicon is bad. i'm simply trying to gather information."

no offense, but if you have nothing to offer other than opinion, i'm not interested. this forum is only one of the several places i am researching the issue. i am just looking for links, articles, specific knowledge, saturations, chemical names, life spans, etc...

does that make any more sense? thank you for your concern though, it means a lot to me to see how much so many people care!!

and to further clarify "where i'm coming from," i am playing around with a biochemistry minor and this is an interesting subject. so please understand my frustration when i specifically ask for information, and i get opinionated and (un)informational replies!! good looking out, though!
 
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